Ferrari protege Oliver Bearman signs multi-year F1 deal with Haas

Highly-rated British teenager Oliver Bearman has secured a permanent F1 seat with Haas, signing a "multi-year" deal starting in 2025.

Haas confirmed the Ferrari protege’s full-time seat, which has been considered a formality for some time, on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The 19-year-old from Chelmsford became the youngest Briton to start a grand prix in when he was called up as a last-minute replacement for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who had appendicitis, in Saudi Arabia in March.

Bearman instantly impressed on his F1 debut, qualifying 11th at Jeddah before finishing seventh in the race, ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

While he has endured a difficult sophomore Formula 2 campaign with single-seater giants Prema, who have unusually struggled for competitiveness in F1’s direct feeder series, Bearman has done enough to impress Haas.

“It’s hard to put into words just how much this means to me,” Bearman said. “To say out loud that I will be a Formula 1 driver for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team makes me so immensely proud. 

"To be one of the very few people who get to do the thing what they dreamed of as a child is something truly incredible. To Gene, Ayao and everyone at Haas, thank you for believing in me and for trusting me to represent your team. 

"I’ve really enjoyed working with everyone since the first time we met in Mexico and I can’t wait to enjoy this moment with them and hopefully many more in the future. To Fred, Marco, Jock, Alessandro and everyone at the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, quite simply, I wouldn’t be here without you. 

"Thank you for preparing me since F4 for this incredible opportunity and know I will give it everything I have.”

He has already taken part in two FP1 outings with Haas this season at Imola and Barcelona and will get behind the wheel of the VF-24 once again at Silverstone on Friday.

It is not yet known who will partner Bearman at the American outfit next season.

Nico Hulkenberg is making the switch to midfield rivals Sauber/Audi, while fellow incumbent Kevin Magnussen is out of contract and not guaranteed to stay.

Among those strongly linked to a Haas seat is Esteban Ocon, who is leaving Alpine at the end of the season.